Rebirth
by spiritgirl16
Summary: AU!Sometimes we lose ourselves to find what's real in our lives; The day Yumi Urameshi dies is the same day she starts to find herself, slowly burning away everything she thought was true, and then from the ashes she will rise anew. Fem!Yusuke. Smarter!Yusuke.
1. So long world!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu yu hakusho, or anything of familiarity.**

 ** _Warning(s): genderbent Yusuke. Possible OOCness. AU. Swearing. References to violence._**

* * *

 _So long world!_

* * *

Yumi Urameshi, currently age fourteen, and in possession of a very rough personality with a poor attitude. Her hobbies include currently: Picking fights, gambling, and smoking. Up until just a few moments ago, she was meant to be the lead of this particular story. The only problem was...

"I-it wasn't my fault! It was the child, she...!" A young man yelled, who appeared to be in his early twenties. He was in shock and panicking, and his head kept swiveling around the crowd to look for a sign that someone there believed him. Most people seemed too focused on the bleeding body his car had just smashed into, however, and the black-haired girl that was so clearly not breathing anymore from the impact.

"I don't think this one's gonna make it," one of the onlookers whispered, feeling a small tinge of remorse for the young life lost.

"Be quiet! The ambulance! Quick somebody call for the ambulance!" A third person yelled out.

All the while, a pool of blood grew around where the girl lay. Her black hair was still in its signature high-ponytail, with messy bangs obscuring where her eyes were. Her school uniform became drenched in red, turning sticky. Her previously tanned complexion was now a deathly pale.

Yumi Urameshi was dead.

"Aaahh!" A voice cried out suddenly. It was a girl, identical in looks to the one lying on the ground. She had awoken to find herself hovering in the air! Somehow straightening herself in mid-air, Yumi proceeded to smack herself a few times to make sure she wasn't dreaming.

' _Well, this is a fine mess I've gotten myself into_ ,' she thought, scowling. Her eyes drifted down, noticed a crowd of people gathered around a body, and all of them yelled in panicked tones.' _Wait a second, that's_...!'

"That's ME!" she hollered. She was starting to freak out a bit, because how in the hell was she suddenly in two places at once!? And how come the 'her' down there wasn't moving at all?!

' _Okay, now this is weird. Stupid weird_ ,' she thought. She floated down to the ground, reaching with shaking hands, and attempted to touch her own unmoving form. The sudden blaring of sirens caused her to stop, and wide eyes looked up to see an ambulance pull up onto the scene.

"Alright, people, clear a path!" One of the paramedics said as he rushed forward with a medical bag slung over his shoulder.

"Right!" The other said as he ran past to check on the little kid who had been saved by the girl laying on the ground.

"Besides a few scratches, this boy looks to be just fine." The second paramedic sounded completely assured, after checking the small, brown-haired kid standing a few feet away. The small boy promptly burst into tears while the paramedic checking over Yumi turned with a grim expression.

"Well, at least one of them is," the grim-faced one said and rose to his feet.

"Hey!" Yumi shouted, not realizing she was invisible to the guy. She watched them bring out a stretcher.

"I hate clean-up," the one from earlier said. All he received in response was a soft 'yep' from the other as they loaded her limp body up.

"Hey, I'm standing right here!" she yelled again.

"Cover this one up, and I'll take the little boy."

"Whoa, you think you can do whatever you want just cuz you've got that stupid uniform on?!" She demanded. She was now standing beside him and looking more furious than ever. "You can't just write me off like that! Hey, listen to me!" She swung her fist, and watched it sail harmlessly straight through the guy's head.

"Whahh!" She yelped. She lost her balance, spun wildly in a circle, and then whirled backwards into the air. She watched the ambulance roar to life and then it just took off down the road. Her expression was one of surprise, because her body was being driven away while she was still right there.

"Well, that wasn't normal," she muttered. Her face scrunched up in concentration as she tried to recall how she landed herself in such a mess.

' _Okay, think, Yumi. It's not like this is your first time being in a jam. The day did start out different, I mean I went to school...'_

[ _Earlier that day…_ ]

The rest of the students backed away in fear, boys and girls alike exchanging nervous glances as Yumi walked on by. Each of them looked like an escaped convict had just come walking up to the school gates. Yumi paid them no real attention though, writing it off as them either being wusses not worth her time or just a bunch of idiots. Maybe even both.

Three hours went by. Three hours of the students sneaking little side-glances at her, some too afraid even for that much. Three hours of the teachers making their dumbass remarks under their breaths, thinking she could never overhear, about how much of a plague she was. Then, finally, she couldn't take it anymore and decided to ditch her next class in favor of going to the roof.

"Yumi Urameshi, report to Mr. Takanaka's office immediately."

Yumi found herself scoffing at the voice on the loudspeaker as she crouched on the roof of the school. Her head leaned back against the wall, and her face was the perfect picture of boredom. Her eyes rolled as she muttered, "Stupid old man, he should just give it up already."

The door beside her, that led to the stairwell, swung open and a familiar head of chocolate brown hair appeared. Yumi blinked as she recognized the signature pig-tails before anything else, and she somehow withheld the urge to smirk.

' _Ten years and she still won't let go of the pigtails. Gimme a break_ ,' Yumi thought. Just then, cinnamon brown eyes swerved and landed on her, and she saw brows pinched into a stern look of authority. It was the eyes of her childhood best friend, not to mention the only one in the whole school to give a damn about her attendance record - Keiko Yukimura.

"So, you're really here!" Keiko said, folding her arms.

Yumi blinked and made a show of casually looking up. Which, on her part, may have been a mistake since that was when Keiko noticed the cigarette hanging loosely from her lips. Then all hell proceeded to break loose.

"Ah! Smoking again? You delinquent!" Keiko snapped. Despite all the yelling, she only looked mildly annoyed. She pointed at the offending item, which only made Yumi herself scoff and turn the other way.

"Ah, it's just Keiko. The ugly hag who nags every day," Yumi casually remarked.

Keiko made a noise, similar to a low growl, at the back of her throat. The brunette snatched the cigarette right out of the other teen's mouth.

"What do you mean ' _nag_ '? Smoking is bad for your health! Ah…," Keiko paused to give a once-over of the taller girl's attire and frowned. Black shirt, black short skirt, black everything really. "YOU DIDN'T CHANGE YOUR CLOTHES! All I see is black again, and that skirt is way too short!"

Yumi gritted her teeth, attempting and failing to drown out her friends griping about her outfit, and she just managed to keep from letting out a smartass remark.

"Also, Mr. Takanaka has been trying to find you. You were called for over the p.a. just a few minutes ago!" Keiko threw out. Her expression morphed to one of pure anger, and her hands rose to plant firmly against her hips. "If you don't go then I'll be scolded as the class representative as well! Do you hear me, Yumi!?"

"Ah! Alright already, alright!"

Keiko watched with an angry huff as Yumi got to her feet, and Keiko's eyes narrowed as Yumi flung the cigarette down and smashed it beneath her shoe. She rubbed at her neck for a moment and spoke with her eyes still closed.

"I'll go now," she relented, tired with the whole ordeal already. "Jeez, what a stalker," she grumbled, brushing past Keiko.

"Hold it! You think I like having to chase you all over the place like this?" Keiko retorted and pointed an accusing finger at the black-haired girl's face. Yumi snorted, not seeming at all threatened by it. Keiko's face flushed suddenly, as she noted the rather intense look her long-time friend was giving to her.

"Well, g-go on! Hurry it up!"

Keiko turned, clearly expecting Yumi to leave. What she didn't notice was the hand inching ever so close to the hem of her skirt. Not until she felt an uncomfortable breeze down below.

"Wah! What low class underwear." Yumi remarked shrewdly, shamelessly lifting the other girl's skirt up into the air and frowning at what she saw. "Even has stains on it. Must be old." Keiko saw red. Her hand connected with the other girl's face in an instant, which sent Yumi tumbling to the ground.

"Idiot! Rotten egg! KNAVE!" Keiko was seething and throwing every possible insult she could muster. "You might as well die, sex maniac!"

Yumi stood back up on shaky legs, wobbled around a bit, and kept a cheesy grin on her face. She mumbled something about seeing stars as she turned and slowly teetered off.

"Grrrr, cheap!" Keiko hissed out and nursed her now throbbing hand. That hit had been hard after all. "Always behaving like this...never improving!"

Finally, Keiko looked back up. The brunette blinked in confusion as she saw nothing but empty air.

"Agh! She escaped again!"

~x~

After she left the roof, Keiko found herself standing in a corridor while she still fumed over Yumi's disappearance.

"Hmph, why that..." Keiko muttered. Her arms were tightly folded as she pondered where her escapee friend had ran off to.

"Keiko," a meek voice called out and jolted her out of her reverie. Two girls were peeking out from around the corner leading out into the hallway. One had large glasses on and short, straight-cut black hair; the other had hair a shade or two lighter than Keiko's own brown hair, which was pulled into higher pigtails than what Keiko would wear. Keiko blinked at them, confused by the fear in the first girl's voice.

"Is-is she gone?" The other asked, as the two girls turned their heads scanning the halls anxiously.

"Why are you both hiding around the corner?" Keiko asked, not sure who they were referring to.

"B-because we're scared of the great Urameshi," the one without glasses spoke up. They seemed terrified as they voiced their shared fear of Yumi to Keiko, who looked slightly taken aback. Sure, Keiko knew Yumi may not have the best reputation, but the idea of people being so scared of her…it just seemed so ridiculous.

"I don't see how you can actually talk to her," the one with glasses commented with a baffled look. "Don't you know she's nothing but bad news?"

"Aren't you terrified of what she might do to you?" The other added.

' _What are they talking about_?' Keiko wondered.

"Or even worse, what people might say about it?" The girl with the pigtails continued at Keiko's oblivious look.

"No, not really," Keiko muttered softly. She was actually still a tad surprised at how afraid everyone was of Yumi. Had things really gotten so bad with her?

"She just wants you to think that she's dangerous. On the inside, she's really more like a lamb, or a panda even," Keiko remarked as she tried to ease their doubts. Sadly, it didn't seem to be having any effect whatsoever. "Honestly, she's not all that bad." Still, fear and doubt shone in their eyes.

"Yeah, but you haven't heard the latest news about her, Keiko," the girl with glasses whispered, while the one behind her nodded along furiously. "She's super tough, and she actually kills for fun!"

' _What_!?' Keiko thought. She would never understand how so many people believed this kind of thing.

"Yeah, that's what I heard too! And if you cross her, she'll whistle for two thousand bad guys, with GUNS!" The pigtailed girl added. She looked horrified at just the thought of such a thing.

"C-come on now," Keiko said and waved a hand to dismiss such wild assumptions.

"Yumi doesn't even know how to whistle."

"What?" Keiko nodded to back up the claim and then decided to elaborate a little more.

"Besides, Yumi couldn't really order around two people, let alone two thousand. She doesn't have very many friends." Keiko's voice turned sadder at the end, because she was secretly worried at her childhood friend's lack of companions. With rumors such as these, a friend's comfort would be nice to have.

"Not what I heard!" The girl with the lighter shade of hair of the duo said in denial.

"Yeah, no offense, Keiko, but I think we would know," the other chided.

Keiko sighed sadly and then watched the other two turn and walk away.

~x~

"Urameshi, I know that you're here today. Report to the staff room immediately."

"Tch! Oh, can it already! I'm not going!" Yumi yelled out, annoyed and frustrated with the lousy day she was having. This particular shout was directed at the voice on the loudspeaker. How the old man had the patience for her, she would never understand!

' _Seriously, that stubborn old man needs to give it up_ ,' Yumi thought and continued her trek through the school courtyard. She stopped when she heard voices close by, because she knew everyone should be in class by now.

"No way, man! You mean he just gave you his wallet?" A voice shouted in disbelief.

' _Definitely male from the sounds of it_.' Yumi stepped closer and saw two boys hunched over.

"It's true!" The other exclaimed, seeming quite pleased over something. "I got about fifteen hundred!"

"All I had to do was say I was Urameshi's cousin. He just dropped it and ran!" Yumi scowled and felt her fists clenching in her pocket slowly as she walked closer to the duo of idiots. She watched them light up a pair of cigarettes, right in the open no less.

"You're so bad!" The guy with glasses said, "But you know if Urameshi finds out, she's gonna kill you." He even seemed to shudder at the thought. The other boy gave a small shrug of nonchalance and didn't look worried at all; he was even smiling at the thought, which just proved to Yumi that he was an idiot.

"Ha! She'll never know, since everybody in Sarayashiki does that. This is the general rule that all good students who do not engage in fighting possess." He then started to laugh. "Hell, that broad is so damn dense, she probably would actually think it's true anyway!"

A shadow fell over the two, which caused them to look up. Their previous expressions of confidence wavered, turning into looks of pure fear and cowardice. The cold hardened eyes of Yumi bore into them as they scampered up against the wall, with the stolen wallet laying forgotten at their feet.

"P-please spare us...!" The one with glasses cried out. He looked about ready to piss his pants.

"I-I swear I didn't mean it!" The other yelled out. "Here, t-take it!" He retrieved the fallen wallet and held it out towards Yumi. Her enraged scowl deepened and a closed fist slammed into the wall beside his head.

"You think I want your money?" She demanded and cocked her fist back.

"Yaaah!" The kid shrieked, thinking he was about to get punched.

"Gimme five hundred of that, please!" Yumi said in her cheeriest voice.

The two boys blinked, slowly reopened their eyes, and saw that the previously angry Yumi was now completely cheerful. Her hand, the one previously curled into a fist, was held palm up and open. They looked at her hand, then her face. Her smile never faltered, and her eyes seemed to shine with innocence.

"Uh...yes! Yes, of course! R-right away!" The one with the wallet finally said, He scrambled around with it before pulling out five hundred dollars and handing it off to her. They watched with bated breath as she wordless turned around and tucked the cash into her pocket, and she strolled along like nothing out of the ordinary had had happened.

"Thanks!" She called over her shoulder.

"Phew!"

"That was way too close."

"Hey! What're you doing?" A new voice yelled. This voice was sterner, and much more annoying in Yumi's opinion.

"Ah...Mr. Iwamoto," one of the boys whispered.

Iwamoto was one of the few teachers who were especially harsh in their blatant disgust and hatred of Yumi. Along with everything she did. Him, and the other teachers like him, were always prattling on about how she made them all look bad. About how scum like her shouldn't even be allowed on the premises, and blah, blah, blah.

"Don't worry, you boys are safe from her now," Iwamoto said and immediately pinned blame for whatever occurred on Yumi. An obvious look of disdain settled on his features as he looked at said girl.

' _This guy is such an idiot_ ,' she thought as she watched a plan form in the teacher's eyes.

"What happened?" He questioned and looked to the boys to answer. They shared a nervous glance at one another.

"N-nothing..." the one who stole the wallet answered meekly. Unfortunately, his answer didn't seem to satisfy the teacher, as Iwamoto's face tightened with anger.

"There's no need to hide!" Iwamoto insisted, seeming oddly eager at the chance to reprimand young Yumi who looked on with disinterest.

"Uhh…" The two boys exchanged a glance but neither spoke up.

"I won't close my eyes to this affair like all the other teachers, I'll rid this school of scum like you!" Iwamoto declared and pointed directly at Yumi. Her brows pinched together into a glare of her own, and she scoffed as she met Iwamoto's eyes.

"You shouldn't talk, it makes you sound stupid." From their spot against the wall, the two boys made small noises of discomfort as they felt the growing tension in the air.

"I-it's true...nothing happened, sir," the same boy from before muttered to the teacher. It was clear he wanted to get away from the awkward situation as quickly as possible. His companion nodded, feeling the same. Iwamoto's scowl deepened some more, and the teacher turned their way just in time to catch one of them glimpsing down towards their feet. He followed their line of sight and barely withheld a triumphant smile when he saw a cigarette on the ground.

"Well, well, a cigarette?" Iwamoto's eyes flicked back up to meet Yumi's, noticing the way she arched an elegant brow at him. "Typical scum behavior, Urameshi."

' _Un-freaking-believable. I didn't even do anything this time_ ,' she thought.

"Disobedient to the rules, you're the worst kind of human there is!" He yelled, not caring about how the other students might have reacted. "No-good scum like you don't have any other reason for attending school other than to cause trouble!"

"U-um..." The two boys tried to speak up, to maybe take the blame for things, but there wasn't much point since Iwamoto's mind was already made up.

"Cut the crap," Yumi cut them off, and she kept her expression totally serious. She gestured plainly to the cigarette before saying, "that's entirely my freedom."

A vein throbbed in Iwamoto's neck, and he was already waving his arm about as he yelled, "get out of here, scum!"

Yumi was already walking away though, with her arms folded behind her head and a triumphant grin slipped onto her face.

~x~

"Gimme a break..." Yumi grumbled and dug through her pockets in search of a new cigarette. A quiet sound of triumph slipped out a moment later. She found one, pinched it between her lips and slowly brought her lighter to her face.

"Looking down on me, eh?"

A sudden blow to the back of her head knocked both the cigarette and the lighter out from her hands and mouth. She recovered quickly, and she was seething in rage as she whirled around to face whoever was responsible.

"Hey, that was my last one!" She yelled. Her expression immediately fell when she saw the familiar face of none other than Takanaka standing behind her.

"Whoa, Takanaka!" She yelped and cringed a bit under his stern gaze.

"That's Mr. Takanaka to you." His eyes flitted down to where her fallen cigarette lay, and he frowned a bit as he looked back up at her. "Smoking as soon as you're out of the school gates? What kind of a student are you?" He prodded and watched Yumi huff as she immediately turned away.

"Mind your own business, old man!" She muttered.

Opting for a different approach, Takanaka tried for a reassuring smile before playfully rubbing a fist into Yumi's hair much like a sibling or parent sometimes might as a sign that he truly did care. Yumi, however, swatted the hand away and scowled at him.

"I couldn't help but notice that you were leaving us," Takanaka said and heard Yumi scoff. "You're here for the first time in ten days, and you think school gets out before noon?"

"It was Iwamoto that demanded I get out," Yumi said in waspish tone.

"Ah, all right then. I'm all ears for this one," Takanaka said calmly. Then he quickly reached out and started pulling Yumi along by her ear, and he kept talking even as the poor girl yelped in pain. "Come to the lecture room with me! I'll treat you to a nice cup of tea."

"Aieee! That hurts! Leggo, Takanaka!" Yumi yelled.

"You're not leaving before the last period bell rings today, you hear me?!" He called over his shoulder.

Having heard no quick comeback this time, he stopped to look and gasped as he fell backwards in shock. Instead of a live Yumi, there was a small little dummy with a face drawn on it. It wore similar clothes to Yumi, but it certainly wasn't her!

"Aaahh!" Takanaka yelped.

"Relax, it's just a toy, old man," Yumi commented. She was now perched atop the schoolyard fence, and she swung her legs over the other side before she yelled, "Now leave me alone!"

She didn't bother to stick around to hear any of Takanaka's protests.

~x~

"Tch! It figures that the one day I feel like going to school, everyone just wants to preach at me, push on me, and give me their stupid lectures! "Yumi grumbled under her breath. Her foul mood worsened as she turned the corner and headed for her apartment complex. "I hate that school. I hate this town!"

Her mood didn't improve as she stomped down the sidewalk and then to her apartment, and she pushed a harsh breath out of her nose as she stepped inside her home. To her surprise, her mother was conscious.

"Oh, well look who's finally awake," Yumi declared to her mother as she walked into the apartment. Her mother didn't bother looking up at her. She looked like she had literally just woken up, and she already had a cigarette hanging loosely from her lips while still in her pajamas.

"Pour me a cup of coffee," she said by way of greeting.

Yumi grumbled a few more profanities under her breath and reluctantly moved to do so.

"Also, don't you have school today?" Her mother asked, finally looking at her. She looked annoyed, but that wasn't uncommon.

"They pissed me off, so I skipped," Yumi said by way of explanation. Of course, this only served to further irritate her mother it seemed.

"If you don't wanna go, then why not just quit already! School's not free, you know. I even gave up my school fees for you when I was fourteen!" Yumi's mother stated, before she rubbed a hand against her forehead and sighed. "Oh, my head hurts."

Yumi's grip on the coffee pot tightened, and her left brow twitched just a bit in annoyance at everything.

"Even my mom's getting preachy! Oh, spare me!" she yelled, about ready to slam the damn thing down and storm out.

"If that's not what you want, get independent! Useless girl."

"Yes, mother." Was Yumi's venomous response.

And, with that, she quite literally did storm out.

"I sure am unfortunate today. Just keep getting more and more infuriated!"

First Keiko nagged her, two idiots thought they were better than her, Iwamoto was being his usual self, and then her mother had to go and piss her off even more!

"Aaaah! I swear, could this day possibly get any stupider!?" Yumi yelled out in frustration and went so far as to kick a nearby can, which caused a few of the people standing around to flee. She noticed shopkeepers hesitating uncertainly by their front doors, some even going so far as to shut and lock them in her presence.

' _Man, I'm so infamous nobody even wants to let me into their shop! I've really become a scapegoat for the misdeeds of all those at my school, great, just freakin great_!' She thought looking about ready to snap.

Just then, she saw a group of familiar looking fellow students jump out and surround her on all sides. She heard approaching footsteps from behind, peering over her shoulder to see a familiar certain carrot-top guy she knew. Kazuma Kuwabara.

' _Well, whaddya know_?' She thought. Suddenly, she felt a slight twinge of amusement.

"Urameshi," Kuwabara said with his hands in his pockets. He had a cocky grin on his face, one that Yumi just couldn't wait to wipe off. Her foul mood began to lighten just a tiny bit as she realized she would get to blow off some steam now.

"Hey, Kuwabara, you're conscious? Huh. I'm not used to that," she remarked. She snickered at how quick his face changed, and she watched him stomp over like a child. He grabbed the front of her shirt and pulled her close in a very non-romantic kind of way.

"That was a cheap shot last time, and I was only knocked out for a little bit, okay?"

She resisted the urge to smile at how insistent he was about it. If she recalled correctly, his friends wound up having to take him to the hospital and everything.

"Now I'm back, and I'm gonna beat your face up so bad even kittens won't look at ya!" Kuwabara said and raised a fist. Yumi started to shake with laughter and then she stopped abruptly as her eyes darkened.

"So sorry you just happened to catch me on such a bad day. You see, it makes me a real jerk!" She yelled back. Disappearing suddenly from his grasp only to reappear with a quick punch to his face that sent him flying. She followed up with a blow from her knee, and then a kick. Once Kuwabara was sent flying again, all his lackeys ran for it.

"Ahhh!" Yumi sighed. She felt nothing but relief after all the pent-up anger from before. "I feel so much better! Thanks, Kuwabara!"

She whistled as she walked away, leaving behind a beaten Kuwabara with another heavy blow to his pride. Once she was gone, Kuwabara's friends gathered around him.

"Kuwabara...maybe you shouldn't irritate Urameshi anymore! So far that makes zero wins and one-hundred and fifty-six losses," one said, trying to put it gently. Kuwabara was having none of it however, and grabbed his friend by the front of his shirt.

"Shut up! I'm gonna fight till I win!" He yelled back. Raw determination shone in his eyes as he looked to where Yumi was last standing. With a determined set of his bruised jaw, he stated passionately, "Before I met her, I never lost a single match. It's not about gender or any of that bullshit! As a fighter, if this continues, I'll never die in peace!"

[ _Back in the present…_ ]

' _Okay, now I'm remembering, after that I met the kid_.'

[ _Flashback_ ]

The sound of a ball bouncing across the pavement echoed in Yumi's ears. She looked down and saw it gently bump into her foot. She reached down to pick it up with one hand, and she saw a boy running up to her from the corner of her eye. He looked to be small and young, with brown hair and big innocent eyes.

"May I have my ball please?" He asked softly and held out his hands. Yumi frowned and crouched down until she was eye-level with the boy.

"Listen, kid! Don't you know that's dangerous? There are cars going by that will splatter you into the pavement!" She shouted. It might seem a little out of character, but she was trying to teach the small kid something about survival for cripes sake. He flinched and looked ready to cry at her harsh tone, and she felt her body tensing.

Yumi thought quickly, because she realized waterworks were imminent. She raised an eyebrow as an idea came to her. She made her face blank and wordlessly lifted the ball up so that it was blocking her face. When she pulled it away, her face was stretched out into a goofier and more comedic one. She repeated this pattern several more times, each time making a different weird expression as she tried to get some kind of reaction from the boy.

' _And to think I was so confident this would work, he's not even smiling_!' Yumi thought with a small twinge of frustration. Her and the boy had reverted back to staring at one another. ' _Wait, I know_!'

Passers-by paused briefly, confused and more than a little disturbed by the display of a so-called 'ruffian' and at the little boy, who had finally cheered her on. It looked downright disturbing, really. With chopsticks up her nose and such, her head stuffed down into her jacket the way that it was...all of it was very strange-looking.

Still, at least the kid looked happy.

' _Hmph, well I guess if all else fails, at least I can still make kids happy_ ,' she thought as she straightened up and returned to normal. She was still holding the ball but lost the chopsticks. She crouched down again and looked the kid straight in the eye.

"Alright, now go ahead and get lost. It's not safe playing ball alongside the road, ya understand?" She said handing the ball back to the boy.

The small boy watched her get up and walk away, before she scurried across the street. Hearing the familiar kick of a ball, Yumi paused on the other side of the crossing. She looked back over her shoulder and saw the kid at it again.

' _Still playing...can't help it, stupid little boy_.'

She continued watching, mostly in amusement at this point, and saw the boy kick just a little too hard. The ball went sailing through the air and then bounced a few times before rolling to a slow stop right in the middle of the street. Yumi was about to turn away, because the show was over, but then she saw the little boy running out into the street. The kid was oblivious to any oncoming cars, and the street was busy since it was nearing rush hour.

"Whoa, hey! Watch out, it's dangerous!" Yumi yelled before she could think to stop herself.

A car came swerving, its rubber tires burning on the asphalt of the road as it raced down the street. The driver and passenger were too busy chatting to pay attention, but Yumi was. She saw the boy, still in the middle of the street, just bending down to get his ball. Neither one knew about the other.

Yumi's body moved on its own.

A crushing blow was all she felt before everything went dark.

[ _End Flashback_ ]

"So, that's it then?" Yumi asked herself as she continued to hover in the air. "I'm roadkill?"

She watched police come and take notes from people who were standing in the crowd, who were doing their best to describe what they saw. There was still a lot of panic going around.

"Hold on a minute, if that was me down there...then who am I up here? Does that mean…?!" Yumi questioned aloud. She started looking horrified as realization began to settle in, and she reluctantly finished her thought "…I've turned into a ghost!"

"Bingo, bingo! You win the prize!" a cheerful voice piped up from above her.

Yumi turned and looked up, and she quickly flinched back in surprise when she saw...a girl?

Light blue hair pulled back into a similar looking ponytail. Cheerful pink-colored eyes. Pink yukata. Not to mention she was floating too, on an oar of all things. Still, she was definitely a girl. She looked just as girly as Keiko did sometimes.

"I didn't expect you to figure it out so quickly," the mysterious girl added with a smile.

"Who the hell are you?"

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 **Review.**


	2. Reaper of Souls

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu yu hakusho, or anything of familiarity.**

 _A/N:_ _Soo after giving it some thought I think I'm going to do what I call a curiosity poll. Basically, give two options for who Yumi will end up with(Each choice DOES affect the plot!) and depending on who wins, well...I'll decide from there._

 _Also I am doing certain things differently involving the Three demon kings-Mukuro, Raizen, Yomi-along with each of their domains. More on that later in the story though._

 ** _Warning(s): genderbent Yusuke. Possible OOCness. AU. Swearing. References to violence._**

* * *

 _Reaper of Souls_

* * *

"Your skills of perception are quite sharp, aren't they?" the blue haired girl commented while still smiling. Her pink eyes were sparkling with cheer and, in Yumi's opinion, just a bit too much energy.

" _Too cheerful about me being a ghost."_ Upon seeing the sour look that came onto Yumi's face, the newcomer drifted over to hover a little closer.

"Not to worry, accidents like this happen all the time!" she assured. "Those who can't accept they are dead can either become floating ghosts or earthbound ghouls, you see."

Yumi's left brow began to twitch as she stared the hovering girl down and asked, "Again, just who the hell are you supposed to be?"

"Why, I'm the escort of souls on the crossroads! I believe that's the equivalent of the 'grim reaper' in the western cultures. Botan's the name! Pleased to meet you!" The girl, now identified as Botan, looked expectantly over at Yumi. She was obviously satisfied by her own introduction, and all Yumi did was stare blankly at her for a moment. Then she hovered a bit closer while opening her eyes wide, and she blinked before steep slopes formed on her brow and her lips curled into a sneer.

"And what's so pleasing about meeting me? Huh? Miss?" Yumi pushed. She shoved her face right in front of Botan's, which caused the bluenette to sweatdrop just a bit at her behavior.

"Please, do not use eyes like that on the escort of souls!" Botan said with a huff.

"As if a pretty girl like you would be the grim reaper," Yumi pressed on after ignoring Botan's commend. "And how scary can you be when you say things like bingo? You're supposed to wear a black robe and look like a skeleton! That is, unless you're stupid."

"I-" Botan started to protest against Yumi's long-winded assessment, but Yumi wasn't quite finished with her rant so she continued on.

"And another thing! I may be evil to some degree, but I am still very popular I'll have you know!" Yumi folded her arms and leveled an expectant look at Botan. "Shouldn't you maybe be feeling just a little sadder about my death or something?"

A small bout of laughter came spilling out of Botan, and Yumi's eyes narrowed in a glare. She didn't see what was so funny about the situation, and she was just about to give Botan another piece of her mind when the other girl started to speak.

"Looks like your personality's very accurately recorded in the life and death book after all!" Botan pulled a little booklet of some kind from inside of her kimono and started flipping through the pages. "You must be terrified of seeing me, so you're spouting nonsense!"

"Say what?!"

"Now, let's see…" Botan's eyes were already busily scanning whatever must have been written down, so she didn't notice Yumi's murderous glare. "Ah, here we are! Yumi Urameshi. Age fourteen, has a tendency for violence, is brash, impatient, very naïve with some very dirty hands, and filled with stupidity!"

" _I'm gonna tear her throat out!"_ Yumi thought as Botan kept listing stuff off.

"Lazy, likes to use others, smokes, drinks, gambles, requires a certain degree of social help…and a whole list of assorted behavioral problems," Botan finished cheerfully and then carefully tucked the book back into her kimono. "Seems like you were a pretty bad girl to me. I didn't even recognize some of those words!"

"Argh!" Yumi let out an unintelligible cry of rage and lunged for Botan, intent on doing harm, but Botan swiftly dodged her.

"It's a good thing you're dead now, isn't it?" Botan asked in that same cheerful tone.

"Mind your own damn business!" Yumi yelled, seething. She slowly floated back up to Botan's level, still more than a little peeved from her comments, and crossed her legs and arms. Her anger, however, was abruptly pushed aside when she was reminded of the cause of her death. She stopped glaring at the air in front of her and cut her eyes over at Botan, who was looking at her with an amused expression on her face.

"Are you going to try to attack me again?" The other girl was far too happy to be some kind of grim reaper. Yumi looked away from Botan and spared a glance down at the now bustling street below.

"So, death lady, about the kid I pushed aside…" Yumi trailed off and casually raised her arms to hold them behind her head before finishing, "How is he? Is he hurt?"

"You're worried?

Yumi's only reply was an indifferent shrug.

"Want to go and see him?"

~x~

"Well, we've got the test results back. Some scratches on the hand and head, but the skull and bones are completely unhurt," the doctor assured.

"Oh, thank goodness! Oh, Masaru!" The mother let out a sob of relief and hugged the child close. The doctor stood up to take his leave and offered one last kind smile. He had already turned to leave when he heard the mother say a quiet _excuse me_ , and he stopped by the door to look at where the mother was still holding her son close to her. "The student who saved my son?"

The question seemed to hang uneasily in the air. The previous mood soured almost instantly, and the doctor's smile melted into a thin line. He suddenly looked every bit his age, and he made sure to look into the woman's eyes as he answered.

"My deepest apologies," the doctor whispered. He couldn't seem to force the rest of the answer, but the message behind his words rang loud and clear. Masaru's mother gasped, clearly shocked and heartbroken for the stranger who'd saved her son's life.

"H-how…how come?" the woman asked while shaking her head. Her words gradually turned softer while the doctor excused him, after muttering his own words of awestruck grief. "Sh-she died…in place of my son."

Outside of the hospital room, Yumi's departed spirit hovered in the air alongside Botan. The two of them could see clearly into the room, which meant they could both see that the boy was perfectly healthy. A few bumps and bruises, but still okay.

"Well, look at that. He's safe and sound," Yumi said with a smile. Botan stared, and a look of intrigue crossed her features at the sight of Yumi's uncharacteristic smile. "Alright, Botan, or whatever you're called! I've got no regrets now so you can take me away to heaven, hell, or whatever place it is I'm going."

Yumi called it out over her shoulder as she floated down the hospital hallway, and she quickly realized that Botan's wasn't hovering next to her. She looked back over her shoulder at Botan, and she received a rather blank look from the supposed "reaper of souls." A blank look that was then quickly followed by a fit of giggles.

"What's so funny?" Yumi bit out as she quickly became annoyed again.

"Perhaps you should have let me talk earlier. You're mistaken, you see," Botan started to clarify. "I'm not here to take you away. Rather, I'm here to ask if you would accept an ordeal that could give you your life back."

"An…ordeal?" Yumi repeated. Botan just nodded and didn't offer up any other information, and Yumi felt her brow twitching in anger as she grew more impatient with Botan's silence. "What the heck are you blabbering on about?"

"Hmm, how should I put it?" Botan mumbled. She looked at the other girl as a look of puzzlement overcame her features, and Yumi had to stop herself from grabbing the other girl and shaking her until she talked. "To be quite honest, your death came as a surprise to the Spirit World. None of us ever dreamt you would actually sacrifice yourself to save someone, much less a little boy."

" _A surprise?"_ Yumi just stared at Botan, rendered speechless by what she was hearing.

"At the moment, there's no place for you. Not in heaven or hell," Botan said and shrugged.

"No place…for me?" Yumi repeated, more so to herself at the moment. The words were having more of an impact than Botan had intended. Yumi felt like she had just been sucker-punched.

"Rrrgh! But why?! I died for that kid!" Did people, even those outside of the realm of humans, really think that she was heartless enough to let a kid die? "Why is it that freakin' unexpected?! Gimme a break!"

"Hmm, well, I didn't want to say this because you seem to have been severely hit!" Botan paused and retrieved the little book from her kimono again, and Yumi felt her nerves fraying even further as Botan started flipping through her special little book again. "Even though the boy was to be knocked down by the car, he was supposed to have escaped miraculously without a scratch anyway."

"What? Without a scratch?" Yumi asked in astonishment.

"Right!" Botan affirmed and looked down at her book again. "Because the ball would have acted as a buffer element, he would have escaped with one less scratch on his being. That's why I kept quiet about it. In short, your death was actually in vain!"

Botan's words hit her like a brick to the head. Yumi actually slammed to a complete stop in midair, like she had ran into a wall. Botan glanced up at her with wide eyes, but Yumi couldn't say anything. She was speechless as Botan's words repeated in her mind.

" _Even in death I fuck up!"_

"Isn't that a severe blow? It's really no wonder, haha," Botan laughed quietly. Her meek laughter quickly trailed off, and she looked down to read from her book again. "To have caused injury to a very safe boy, and to have lost your very own life in the process…what an idiot!"

Botan finished her assessment with a dismissive tone, and Yumi snapped. She moved back into the other girl's face with her fist already cocked back to strike, and her expression was showing undisputable rage. Grim reaper or not, Yumi was going to kick her ass!

"Ah! Cool your jets, sillyhead! I told you that you could get a second chance. Don't you remember?" Botan quickly reminded while snapping her book shut and trying to hide her face behind. Cowering from Yumi's obvious anger, but only for a moment. Then she was looking over the book and speaking in her usual cheerful tone. "Just accept to go through this easy ordeal, and you can go back to your life in no time!"

Yumi backed off and lowered her fist, but the enraged look in her eyes didn't waver. Botan's cheerful look faded, just a bit, and she dared to hover a little closer to where Yumi was still fuming.

"If this goes on, you're doomed to become a wandering ghoul," Botan insisted. "So, it's better for you to accept the test, isn't it?"

A beat of silence passed between them as Yumi refused to respond.

"It's not such a terrible idea, right?" Botan tried again.

Yumi looked right in the other girl's eyes and uttered a single word, "No."

"Hm?" Botan asked in confusion.

"Nope!" Yumi repeated more casually than before. She folded her arms behind her head once again and then grumbled, "You're just like the teachers at my school, with no idea about what's actually going on."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Botan inquired. "I know what's going on, and I'm saying you have a chance to fix it. Isn't that a pretty good deal? Most people would jump at this sort of chance!"

"Maybe so, but…I'm just not one of them," Yumi said as a satisfied smile came onto her face. She just looked so pleased, and Botan couldn't wrap her head around it. "Besides, I think I like the idea of being a ghost."

Yumi turned in the air so that she was facing Botan, and the other girl looked curiously at her as she waited to see what Yumi would say next.

"You said yourself that I was some kind of fuck-up, right?"

Botan only shrugged, but a pang of remorse went through her at the casual tone of Yumi's voice.

"Everyone will be a lot happier now that I'm gone." Yumi paused and then decided to explain a little more. "The teachers will be happy they won't have anyone left to yell at all the time. My mom will be able to do whatever she wants without having to worry about where I'm at." Yumi's smile widened then and took Botan by surprise. "Hell, she may even find herself a good man after all these years, ya know?"

"I'm so sorry you feel that way at such an early age," Botan said sincerely. "But don't you think you're jumping to conclusions?"

"You've gotta agree though, there's no point in me doing some stupid ordeal," Yumi bantered on. "No one's going to miss me!"

Botan's lips pursed in thought for a moment, and a smile came onto her face as she hovered further up. Yumi watched her smile widen and held herself completely still as the other girl hovered closer to her.

"Alright then, I don't suppose there's any reason to make such a big decision in a hurry," Botan said which finally caused Yumi to frown. "Why don't you go and spend some time at your wake and think it over? I'll come back when you decide, alright?"

Botan knew better than to stick around for an answer from Yumi, and she disappeared in a bright flash of light as Yumi hollered after her in vain.

"You got worms in your ears or something, lady?! I did decide!"

XxX

Deep in the plains of the Makai World where demons dwelled, away from the eyes of humans and such, laid a barren-looking stretch of land. It looked devoid of any signs of life, and the ground was cracked in various spots and places. The large cracks seemed to serve as invisible borders between two other large chunks of territory and a third.

The first two territories were seemingly normal. Each housed a fortress-like structure in the center, and the fortresses emitted a deadly amount of raw power that made normal demons quiver and shake. The third territory, however, was downright terrifying to behold. Pure red demonic energy slowly split apart the ground the further one went in. There were massive spears and jagged rocks protruding from a makeshift walkway that was constructed for all those foolish enough to venture closer. The outline of a skull was molded to the doorway, and there was a lowered drawbridge as well.

Currently, there was a lot of commotion going on within the castle. Various sections were being randomly blown to bits, and those not quick enough were caught in the ensuing blasts. Voices, panicked and confused, bounced off the walls as demons ran about. They were dressed like monks, and they were preparing for battle in front of the large dust cloud before them.

"What is the meaning of this?!" a commanding female voice yelled. Annoyance was clear in her tone, and several of the monks looked on in fear.

"Lady Lethia! I-it's young Sir Lucien! He's lost control again and is destroying everything in sight!" one of the monks explained while bowing his head in respect.

Lady Lethia had an attractive build, despite her shorter than average size. Her pure white skin had the slightest touch of a tan, and mismatched red and blue eyes looked over the monks. Her hair was a pure white color, with long bangs framing her face, and half of the strands spiked out a bit halfway while the rest continued down to her bare shoulders. She wore a short black ruffled skirt, which belonged to the unique-looking set of armor she was wearing. The armor showed off her bare back along with intricate silver spiral designs on her skin, and the top piece of the armor was blue and black.

The young girl made a _tch_ noise upon hearing the news, and she glared at the top of the monk's bald head for a moment. When none of the monks moved or said anything else, she propped her hands on her hips and spoke, "How annoying. Where is Illya? Why has she not yet resolved this problem?"

"Master Raizen sent her on a special mission! He said it was urgent!" the same monk said.

"Urgent, you say?" Lethia drawled. Then her eyes narrowed, and her tone turned to ice. "And what, pray tell, could be so goddamn important that Lord Raizen would see fit to leave me to deal with you morons?"

"Uh," the monk stuttered and then paled. A few feet away, where a line of defense had been formed, the dust was finally clearing. A monstrous howl rocked the castle walls and caused a few more solid structures to crumble from the mounting spiritual pressure.

"Well, it seems as if someone needs a time-out," Lethia muttered.

Before the dust could fully clear, a figure lunged forward and headed straight for Lethia.

~x~

Yumi felt a sudden shiver go up her spine and froze completely for a moment. Turning to look over her shoulder after composing herself, she saw nothing.

" _That's weird. I could've sworn I felt something just now."_ Her brow creased in thought for a second and then she started to berate herself. _"Ahh, what the heck am I saying?! I'm dead now! D-E-A-D! It's not like anything's gonna sneak up on me."_

With that, she turned back around. She was now hovering just outside of her house, and she was surprised to see such a large crowd flowing out from what was once her front door.

"Whoa, just look at all the people!" she said aloud. It wasn't like anyone could hear her since she was a ghost, so she could be as loud as she wanted. Mixed into the crowd, she could easily make out which ones were student uniforms. She felt a little surprised they bothered to show up at all, and her voice dropped into a softer tone. "Even my classmates are here."

That little bit of softness quickly disappeared. A small part of her felt depressed when she realized that her former classmates were, in fact, laughing. Their faces showed looks of joy, some even looked relieved, and they were pointing and whispering. They weren't mourning her at all!

"It figures!" she hissed, now seething in anger. "Those jerks! They all probably only came 'cause they're getting extra credit!"

"Hey! Knock that off!" The sudden yell caught her attention, and she cut her building rant off. She glanced down and recognized the voice as one of the boys she ran into when she left school earlier that day. The one that had spoken was the one who had originally stolen the wallet. The guy lifted his chin as he looked at the other students, but his slightly meek voice proved that he clearly wasn't used to standing up to people. That didn't stop him from looking at the others and saying, "Why don't you guys stop being such assholes for once and just go somewhere else?"

Yumi cocked her head a little at the surprised looks on her classmates' faces, and the guy's friend stepped up beside him.

"Y-yeah, that's right!" the other guy said.

"Huh, well whattaya know," Yumi whispered. She definitely hadn't been expecting the two of them to stand up.

"Yumi!" a choked whispered drifted through the crowd.

Yumi's eyes broke away from the boys and landed on a familiar head of brown hair held up in dumb-looking pigtails. Her expression softened just a little when she saw the heavy amount of tears on Keiko's face. The brunette's chest was heaving erratically as she broke down in her two friend's hold, and she kept crying out Yumi's name as if that would somehow magically get said girl to reappear.

"Please come back! Please, Yumi, I-I'm sorry! Please…please don't go! YUMI! Yumi, no!" Keiko continued to sob as she fell to her knees, ignorant of her friends' pleas to 'pull herself together.'

"Is she…making all that noise just for me?" Yumi wondered aloud.

"Come on, let's go back. This isn't right!" a new voice whined. Yumi squinted down at the crowd but couldn't see who had spoken.

"Shut up! Let go of me!" Yumi blinked and then straightened immediately as she whirled around.

" _No way! What's HE doing here?"_ she thought, completely dumbfounded to see none other than Kuwabara. He was all but stomping his way through the crowd of people, and he was literally dragging his cronies as they tried to hold him back, and who seemed dead set on trying to keep him away.

"Kuwabara?!" Yumi yelled just as he reached the doorway of her home. He was finally pulled to a stop just inside the doorway, and Yumi looked on as he yelled, obviously blinded by grief.

"Damn you!" he hollered. He was choosing to either ignore or remain oblivious to how everyone turned their heads to stare at him in confusion. His gaze swept past all the people in the room and settled on the lone picture of Yumi, who looked like the picture had been taken while she was caught off guard. Kuwabara didn't even bother to spare a glance for Yumi's catatonic looking mother, or the white-haired girl who only moments ago had been bowing her head in sympathy for the woman's loss.

" _He's lost it,"_ Yumi thought as Kuwabara started to struggle forward again.

"You think you can just back down 'cause you're scared!" Kuwabara went on to bellow. He continued to push forward, despite his friends' words of caution and protest.

"Kuwabara, this place is for mourning!" one of them even said.

"I'm not gonna leave!" Kuwabara insisted with just a hint of desperation entering his voice. "Not until she comes out here and lets me fight her!"

"She can't do that!" another of his friends pleaded in the same sad and desperate tone.

"I'm gonna beat you down, you…! You!" Kuwabara's voice broke, and he reached forward towards the photo of the girl. His hand froze before he could touch the smooth glass, and his hand clenched into a fist as he looked at the picture of the girl. The only girl he ever fought with, argued with. His voice dropped into a whisper and tears started to track down his face as he continued, "You're supposed…to be here…f-for me!"

Yumi gasped and felt her eyes slowly widening. She had no idea that Kuwabara would react this way to her death.

"Just who the hell do you think you are, you lousy punk?!" The insult was mild and not nearly as venomous as the insults he threw at her during their fights. "Who am I gonna fight now?! Who am I gonna fight?"

"She's gone!" one of his friends finally snapped. At that, Kuwabara broke down.

"No!" the redhead yelled. He threw his fist towards her picture, but he stopped just short of hitting it. "No, no! Aaahh!"

As he was being pulled away, Yumi was still slightly baffled by his words and reaction. So baffled that she didn't notice a pair of dull red-looking eyes following after him. Yumi was still watching Kuwabara be dragged away, so she only caught a glimpse of the white haired girl from before moving wordlessly to offer her prayer before the photo.

"Who would've guessed, that Kuwabara of all people…" Yumi started to say, still unsure of what exactly she'd just witnessed.

"Did you see those scum?" Yumi felt her no longer flowing blood start to boil after hearing the voice of Mr. Douchebag himself, Iwamoto. Just beside him stood the other weasel, Mr. Akashi. They looked like a pair of gossiping schoolgirls, not even bothering to go inside and pay their respects.

"Hmph! They're just some losers that Urameshi hung out with. Too bad that car wasn't big enough for them too," Mr. Akashi said.

"Now, now." Mr. Iwamoto paused and then continued with a condescending smirk, "We should be glad. After a lifetime of being worthless, Yumi actually did something to give our school a good reputation."

Yumi floated down beside them with a scowl on her face and hated that she couldn't punch their stupid smug faces.

"Well, just between you and me, Mr. Iwamoto. I'd say she probably saved that little kid on accident while she was trying to knock him down and steal all of his lunch money," Akashi said and didn't bother to lower his voice at all as they laughed.

"I wouldn't be surprised by that at all, Mr. Akashi."

"Arrgh! Even at my own damn wake, these two idiots knock me!" Yumi yelled with a growl and reached forward. "If only I could just."

Her unfinished threat hung in the air as a hand, a real hand and not her own ghostly limb, grasped the two teachers by the shoulder and whirled them around.

"What do you suppose is more disgraceful? Those boys shouting in misery, or your insensitive and idiotic words?" Takanaka asked. His face was set into a deep scowl, expression showing nothing but contempt for the other two, and he released them with a little shove before making his way towards the house.

" _Takanaka,"_ Yumi thought as she watched him go.

Yumi slowly hovered after Takanaka, curious about what he would say next. Because she was so focused on him, she missed the way a certain pair of red eyes glanced upwards. The same eyes that had watched Kuwabara leave and Keiko break down now snapped to her location and followed after her.

"At first I was so surprised, Yumi," Takanaka began sadly. "To hear that you saved a young child at the cost of your own life. You've always shown a front of being much more selfish than that. Yumi, I-I don't know why I just can't bring myself to speak well of you right now!" The elder man's shoulders trembled as a small sob slipped out, and he lowered his head to keep his falling tears from being seen. His hands fisted in the material of his pants, and he continued talking with his face pointed towards the floor. "It's just…why didn't you stay? You could have…you have made something truly wonderful of yourself!"

"Y-Yumi!" She turned at the sound of her own mother's choked, watery voice. Why were so many people crying?! Weren't they all glad that she was finally gone?

Yumi turned to the side in midair and stopped as someone new stepped into the house. A woman and her son had just entered, and they were standing in the doorway and looking around. The woman's eyes were red from crying so much earlier in the day, while the small boy looked around in confusion.

"This way," the woman said softly and guided the small child forward.

"Yes, Mommy," the boy say and followed along obediently. They followed Takanaka's example and knelt before the photo, and the mother placed her hands together in prayer. Copying her actions, the little boy did the same. The woman turned to her son and offered him a weak smile.

"Now you should say something to honor her memory," was all she said. The boy nodded and turned back to look at the picture with a smile.

"Thank you for…saving me, and making faces!"

His mother bowed her head towards Yumi's grieving mother, and a small part of her still felt guilty knowing that their positions could have easily been reversed. She could have been the grieving mother after receiving the call of what happened, instead of offering her condolences. Yumi floated back outside as the mother and son left, because she wasn't sure if she wanted to stick around any longer. Things were not at all how she expected them to be. So she watched the boy and his mother leave, and she silently floated along behind them.

"Mommy?" the boy suddenly asked. When his mother looked down at him, he continued his question. "Do you think it'd be okay if I played with that girl again tomorrow?"

His mother stopped walking, and she looked down at her young son with a look of absolute despair.

"Oh…oh no, honey. I don't think-"

"I know a lot of people sounded angry at her, but she's really nice," the boy insisted. "She made really funny faces at me too, and she even got me my ball back!" The boy's expression shifted back into one of innocent confusion as he looked up at his mother. "I don't know why those people were crying like that, but it was probably because they just wanted to play some more with her too."

The woman only shook her head slowly at first and tears began to spill down her face as she hugged her child close.

"Ironic, don't you think?" a soft voice asked next to where Yumi was floating.

Yumi turned, and her eyes widened when she saw a person with flowing white hair and dull red eyes looking directly at her from her perch on a street lamp. The girl smiled and propped her chin on her palm. Yumi pointed, flailed, and moved her mouth soundlessly so that she looked like some kind of gaping fish.

"Y-Y-YOU CAN SEE ME?!" Yumi spluttered. The girl's eyelids fell halfway, which only made her look even more bored.

"Well, duh. You're dead, not invisible," she said simply.

"How-Why-Who the hell are you?" Yumi asked in a rush.

"My name's Illya," the girl said in introduction. "I'm a demon _and_ believe it or not, I'm here to help you get your life back."

~x~

"Well, have you decided?" Botan asked as she reappeared before Yumi. Said girl looked rather put off, but Botan chose to simply ignore it. She could still easily recall that Yumi hadn't been in the best of moods after finding out that there was no place to put her. She was rather surprised when instead of replying right away with the expected _yes_ , Yumi shoved a finger in her face.

"First, I have a question, Miss Reaper Lady."

"Yes, what is it?" Botan asked curiously. Now, she certainly didn't expect for a random girl of all things to be shoved into her face.

"Mind explaining just what the hell this is?!" Yumi hollered and pointed directly at the girl. Botan looked between them, not understanding the point that Yumi was trying to make at all. Her lips pulled down into a frown and her brow creased in thought.

" _Is she dead too? No, that can't be. I haven't received any other notifications today. Besides, her spiritual energy suggests she's more of a de-"_ Botan froze physically as her thoughts ground to a halt.

The pieces began to click together, one by one. Koenma's earlier warning. The lingering traces of demonic spiritual energy in his office when she went back to report. The sudden appearance of this new girl.

"Pleased to meet you, reaper of souls. I am Illya." The girl introduced herself, and she looked rather calm about everything while Botan was internally freaking out. "I'm here on Lord Raizen's behalf."

"Lord…Raizen?" Botan asked meekly. Illya nodded, and Botan felt a lump rising in her throat.

"Who the heck's Raizen?" Yumi piped up as she folded her arms behind her head.

"Why don't we head to the Spirit World?" Illya asked. She looked from Botan to Yumi, then back to the blue-haired reaper. "Then we can explain everything there, rather than stay in this dreary dump."

"To the what?" Yumi asked with confusion flitting across her face.

"The Spirit World," Botan repeated as she broke out of her small reverie. "It's where you'll get what you need for your ordeal, Yumi."

"In more ways than one," Illyana added, which caused Botan to gulp nervously.

"What I…need?" Yumi muttered, looking between the two.

"Come on, let's go! You'll see when we get there!" Botan assured, pulling Yumi along while Illya grabbed onto the end of Botan's oar.

The three of them sailed through the night sky and on to the Spirit World.

* * *

 **Review.**


	3. Test for Revival

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.**_

 _ **Warning(s):** Fem!Yusuke. Possible OOCness. AU._

 _A/N: Hey-hi everyone!*hides behind a wall* So, been awhile obviously...but yay, I finally finished the next chapter! This is where some of the AU kicks in cuz*surprise, surprise* Yusuke/Keiko will not be made canon in this! Again, quick apology to Kurama and Hiei(my adorable little cinnamon rolls!) fans, buut there are honestly SO SO many stories with Kurama and Hiei that, weeell, I thought a more 'unconventional' route needed to be taken!_

 _So, I have officially started a poll, and yeah...okay, bye!*runs away*_

 _And as always, thanks for the reviews, favorites and follows minna!_

 ** _ENJOY!_**

* * *

 _Test for Revival_

* * *

' _She will never survive it.'_

' _Humans are such strange creatures,'_ Illya thought. Dull red eyes blinked at the scene unfolding around her, and a part of her scoffed internally while the many gathered piles of flesh and bone cried their eyes out. They were mourning over a girl-a _stupid_ girl-who decided to try and play hero which caused her to unknowingly fuck herself over.

' _And all for some dumb little kid who probably doesn't even know her damn name.'_ Illya internally fumed, because now _**she**_ was being called in to fix things. Now _**she**_ had to not only come here to the Human World of all places, which completely sucked _ass_ in her opinion, but she also had to find a dead girl. It didn't stop there. She had to find said dead girl, inform her of her demonic heritage, and ultimately help revive her by awakening her demon blood.

' _Why the hell couldn't he have sent someone like Lethia? Hell, even frickin' Lucien would have been better!'_ Her face deflated a little bit as she thought of her fellow demons back in the Makai. She pouted a bit, and the people around her misconstrued it as a look of grief. ' _It's much more fun there, yet here I am stuck in this dumb ol'-'_

"How _dare_ you!"

A sound-flesh hitting flesh, echoed throughout the mass of people, drawing stares and hushed whispers. Illya's head turned as her curiosity piqued. She glanced between two sacks of meat-er, _humans_ , she mentally corrected. Standing just outside of the house was a small trio of girls, and the middle one was down on the floor crying her eyes out and screaming. The other two, however…

"You take that back!" the one with pigtails yelled. With her enhanced sight, Illya could have sworn she saw something glisten in the girl's eyes as she spoke. It was the same with the one wearing glasses beside her. They both looked like they had just been sucker-punched.

"Wha…?" another voice muttered. Illya immediately pinned it to a male standing only a few feet away. She recalled him as one of the _humans_ she had heard laughing and mocking the girl who'd died- _Yumi Urameshi or something_. She chose not to pay it any heed, because she figured the human knew the dead girl better than she did.

Apparently, some others thought differently.

"Come on, Eimi, what are you talking about?" another male commented as he stepped up beside the first. The two of them looked at the girls in disbelief.

"Yeah, it's not like you guys thought any different," the first male said and shrugged. This time it was the one wearing glasses that snapped. Her hand flew out just as the other girl's did before, guided by a kind of righteous fury burning in those wide eyes of hers that honestly left Illya feeling a little baffled.

"That doesn't make it right!" the two girls yelled perfectly in sync.

"Sure, maybe Yu-" The first girl, Eimi supposedly, stopped as her voice cracked. She spared a glance over her shoulder at the girl still on the ground and then carried on. "Y-Yumi wasn't the best person…" She continued but now her voice was as watery as her eyes. "…b-but, m-maybe th-that's only 'cause…! N-none of us took the time to, g-get to, actually know her!" She finished after several pauses to sniffle and hiccup as she cried, and she looked ready to fall apart at any moment.

"She was a menace, Eimi! That's why!" the second male rebuffed. Illya arched a brow at the statement.

' _Was the girl perhaps already aware of her demonic heritage then?'_ the silver-haired demoness pondered quietly.

"She was a girl!" the other girl, identified by some of the whispering as Michiko, said in a more waspish tone that she seemed suited to. "One with no father! For god's sake, her only friend was Kei-!" She stopped, and shame flitted across her features for the smallest amount of moments as her eyes took a moment to observe the girl behind her much like Eimi had.

"Keiko was the one who-…who b-bothered to get t-to know her," Eimi finished for her friend.

' _Kei…ko?'_ Illya mulled over the name as her attention was now solely focused on the third girl of the triad. Shiny brown hair pulled into little pigtails and wearing the same matching uniform. She could hear the human girl crying, mumbling a name repeatedly under her breath while shaking her head as if in denial over the whole ordeal.

"Yumi…Yumi! Oh, Yumi, why?! Why did you?!" Keiko's sobs were deafening and caused Illya's overly sensitive ears to twitch some.

' _Interesting. So she knew her then but unlike the majority of people here, she doesn't seem to hold Yumi in contempt.'_ She held her chin in her palm and got lost in thought for a moment. Her nose crinkled a bit entertaining a different scenario in her head. ' _Perhaps they were lovers? I mean, some demons have strange tastes.'_

"Shut up! I said, let go of me!" A new, much louder and rougher, voice cut through the still air.

Illya's eyes widened ever so slightly as she picked up on a somewhat larger spiritual pressure nearby, and she saw a rather ugly looking human force his way to the door. The tall human had a kind of carrot-top haircut and a much larger frame than most of the other males.

"Damn you!" the boy yelled. He sounded almost enraged while he glared across the room, and his eyes settled on a picture of the deceased girl. A part of Illya wanted laugh as she thought that perhaps this one was just too dumb to realize that the girl he was yelling at was no more. "You think you can back down 'cause you're scared?!"

' _I love mindless violence,'_ Illya thought and did her best to hide her growing smile. She watched the boy, who was too caught up in his own grief to pay her any heed, raise his fist at one point in preparation to strike. Illya expected him to, since she considered humans to be little more than food or entertainment, so when the fist stopped just short of the picture Illya was left confused.

' _Why did he…stop?'_ If things were reversed, Illya certainly wouldn't have hesitated. If the girl had pissed her off, then why not exact a little revenge? No one else seemed to care. No one else wanted Yumi Urameshi around.

"You're supposed…to be here…f-for me!" This time Illya couldn't hide the widening of her eyes. She watched as the boy eventually slumped back, and his followers finally managed to drag him out of the house and away from the wake.

Illya looked back at the photo of the girl she had been sent to find. She was nothing of real worth, certainly nothing that resembled her dear Lord Raizen, so then why? She moved without fully comprehending her own train of thought and moved to settle herself before the photo of Yumi, and she very slowly lowered herself into a bow. She swore that she'd find this Yumi girl and then…then she would see with her own two eyes what was so special about her.

~x~

Illya was immediately overcome with disappointment when she finally saw this Yumi girl for herself.

Yumi Urameshi was…scrawny. She didn't really show any sign of muscle, and she didn't give off any kind of phenomenal power. If anything, in Illya's opinion, she was even more average than that Keiko girl back at the wake. She had a bit of an attitude, but there was nothing too noteworthy about her.

' _There's no way this_ _ **little girl**_ _is related to one of the Three Demon Kings, especially Lord Raizen at that!'_ Illya huffed and felt outraged on her master's behalf. Outraged and offended. How dare this girl be so weak! For god's sake, she was killed by a _car_.

' _She didn't even sense my spiritual presence from right frickin' behind her. Dumbass girl.'_ Right away, Illya steeled her nerves and prepared for the girl's imminent failure of her little "examination." A part of her was even looking forward to the black-haired girl's eventual death once the demonic energy proved too great for her to handle and she ultimately killed herself.

' _Yup, definitely should've sent someone like Lethia or Lucien for this one. I always get the boring assignments.'_

~x~

 _(Only later would Illya come to regret such thoughts.)_

 _(Covered in blood, hurting all over while she gasped for air. A certain brown-eyed girl-her eyes were red now-was standing over her with markings all along her body, similar to Lord Raizen's but more ominous somehow. The markings radiated power, somehow highlighting her pretty features, and Illya was in awe.)_

~x~

"Remind me again, where exactly are we going?" Yumi asked. A light scowl marred her somewhat delicate features as she regarded the other two girls with contempt and a slight sense of dread. She didn't really want to go anywhere with _them_ ; one claimed to be the grim reaper, and the other was a supposed demon.

' _Just my luck to get stuck with these two nutjobs,'_ Yumi thought bitterly. Even so, she found herself clinging to the bluenette's-Botan's-she mentally corrected-oar thing or whatever. The clouds and stars were whirring past them, or was it the other way around?

"The Spirit World," Botan repeated. A little too happily, in Yumi's opinion. Shouldn't death be more of a somber subject?

"Am I supposed to know what the hell that is?" was Yumi's flippant response. At the other girl's heated stare, Botan huffed a little and turned her eyes forward again.

"It's a realm where the people outside of the living world exist-"

"Does that include you?" Yumi interrupted as she locked eyes with Illya, who only scoffed in reply.

"-including the person who will explain your ordeal," Botan finished, undeterred by the interruption.

"And just who is this stupid mystery person?" Yumi demanded, once more growing frustrated with the whole thing. She hated authority figures; they reminded her of her jackass teachers, Iwamoto and that rat bastard Akashi. She could already imagine what kind of wuss she was being forced to meet with. "If someone's got something to say to me, then they should come out and say it face-to-face!"

"His name is _King_ Yama," Illya declared. Yumi thought the other girl took a sick amount of joy at how Yumi's face instantly paled.

"What?! I'm dealing with royalty now?"

"That's right, Yumi. So that means you had better mind your manners and not be impolite or brash around him like you usually are," Botan explained and fixed the smaller girl with a pointed look. Then she shifted her eyes to give Illya the same look. "And that goes for you as well, whatever circumstances that brought you-"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll behave." Illya waved Botan off with a smirk. "Wouldn't want him to retaliate by doing something horrible, like sitting on me with his fat ass."

Illya snickered at the near-scandalized look that overtook Botan's face, and Yumi seemed to share in the pale-haired girl's amusement.

"Can't you show an ounce of decency?!" Botan suddenly hollered and slammed a fist against the top of the demon's head. A vein popped up on the corner of her temple as she directed a quick statement, or threat depending on how you look at it, at both of them. "Don't forget that he calls the shots, and if you two aren't on your absolute best behavior…well, then, he may very well haul you both off into oblivion if he wants!"

Only Yumi seemed to really get scared. Illya just sarcastically drawled out, "Oh, I'm shaking."

"Whoa, now wait just a second! I-I really think we should talk some more about this!" Yumi was cut off by her own scream as Botan flew them into a bright light that had been hidden by a large swirl of clouds that were higher up than any airplane could go. The light enveloped the three of them and made Yumi's head spin. When it finally stopped, Yumi didn't recognize anything.

"Wow, everything's so…big," Yumi breathed. Her head turned from side to side as she took in all of her surroundings. She used both hands now to hold onto Botan's oar as she exclaimed, "Hey! Is that the River Styx down there?!"

"Well, of course!" Botan answered, her face beaming. "And that, just up ahead, is called the Gateway of Decision."

Yumi lifted her gaze to follow where Botan was pointing while still drinking in the otherworldly layout, and she saw some kind of palace-looking place off in the distance.

' _Hm, that's the most normal thing I've seen since arriving here,'_ Yumi thought absentmindedly just before Botan jerked her oar some. The speed suddenly increasing caught Yumi by surprise, and she was nearly thrown off of it.

"Whoa, hey!" Yumi snapped and flailed a bit to keep a secure grip.

Illya watched everything through lidded eyes, and she shook her head a bit before calmly floating after the two. A single thought ran through her head as she frowned, ' _That girl's going to die…no doubt about it.'_

~x~

"Man, this is some pad alright," Yumi said, even more in awe after they landed. She didn't even notice how Illya lingered as she hopped down beside her, while Botan leaned forward and cupped a hand around her mouth.

"Botan here! I've got a new arrival here with me!"

"Hear that, Urameshi? Sounds like they're rolling out the red carpet," Illya remarked with a slight sneer. She folded her arms and changed her tone into something more sarcastic. "Or maybe they'll skip the introductions and just hurl you straight into hell, hm?"

Yumi bristled and glared over at the other girl before growling, "Why does every word that comes out of your mouth make me wanna bash your frickin' face in?!"

"Truth hurts."

"Why, you-!"

The sound of Botan's fists coming down on both of their skulls signaled the end of their bickering. The ferry girl, being the overall winner, fumed down at the other two sprawled on the ground with lumps forming on their heads.

"Would you two pull yourselves together?! Honestly, you're no better than a pair of children." Botan tutted at them and then turned to lead the way inside once the doors started to swing open.

"Whatever, _mom_!" Yumi snapped and received another smack. Illya was wise enough to keep her mouth shut for the time being and followed after Botan.

Yumi, now nursing the few lumps on her head, started looking around while they walked. She grew more and more unsettled as she noted the red, very throat-like decorations hanging from the ceiling and lining the wall. The whole thing reminded her of the time she had tried to stick her whole hand down her throat and ended up barfing instead. It wasn't her fondest memory.

"Any reason it looks like we're walking right into the belly of the beast?" Yumi shoved her hands into her pocket and quickened her steps so that she was walking a little closer to Botan. "If your plan is to have someone eat me, gotta say…you could at least be more subtle about it."

"Don't be silly. You're _hardly_ even appetizing to look at. Let alone taste, no doubt," Illya chided.

"Shut it!" Yumi barked and upped her pace even more.

"Don't whine," Botan said sternly, much like a mother to her child. She looked over her shoulder and back towards Illya. "And didn't I say to behave?"

The rest of the walk came and went in silence, which left Yumi to her own thoughts for a while.

' _Botan said this Yama guy was some kind of king. Well, if he deals with demons all the time like Illya, then I doubt he's the most appealing guy to look at.'_ Yumi inwardly scoffed at the idea of the ruler of the spirit world being some kind of good-looker. ' _He probably has horns. Fangs too. Hell, he may even look like something from one of those sci-fi films. Like the ones with the aliens!'_

Illya skipped a little further ahead, leaving Yumi to her mini-ramblings for the moment, to speak privately with Botan.

"I thought I heard King Yama was out of the office for a short period of time?" Illya began and arched a brow.

"Oh, that's right! I forgot!" Botan said in remembrance and gave herself a light tap on the head at her own forgetfulness. "It's fine though. Koenma should be in, and I'm certain he's more than capable of handling this, er, _rare_ occurrence."

"Koenma? You mean the baby?" Illya frowned some at the mention of King Yama's son, and she looked completely unconvinced that he could handle such a case. Part of Botan must have agreed, if the nervous laughter she gave was any sort of indication.

"-I'll squeeze him until he begs for mercy and then I'll see how he likes taking orders!" Yumi's voice snapped both of them back to reality, and Illya and Botan both stopped at a large set of double doors and looked over their shoulders at the third girl.

"What the _hell_ are you muttering about?" Illya asked. Her mood was already starting to sour, and she didn't want to deal with the dumb girl going crazy.

"Huh?" Yumi's head shot up, as though she was just remembering that she wasn't actually alone. She looked like a deer caught in the headlights, and she reached up to rub the back of her head in embarrassment. When she answered, her tone was a little more meek than usual. "Me? O-oh, uh, it's…nothing."

"Idiot," Illya hissed, clearly annoyed.

"Botan here again," the bluenette said while pressing a small button on an intercom. "Will you please let him know that I'm here with Yumi Urameshi?"

" _Roger. We're opening the gate."_

Slowly the gates parted, revealing the madhouse inside. In Yumi's eyes, there was no other way to describe it. Well, maybe it was like something out of a bad comic…but it was mostly just way too weird. There were ogres…or were they some other kind of monster? She was just going to go with ogres for now. There were _actual_ ogres with horns, claws, and everything running around like chickens with their heads cut off. Screaming, hollering, and some of them were carrying large stacks of papers.

"I need information on Mr. Ganon in two minutes!" a red one shouted.

"Mr. Pitz is ahead of schedule!" another, more burly, blue one hollered.

For a moment, it looked like they were preparing for a total beat down. Their fists were raised up and closing in on each other. Then, at the last second, they dodged. They moved around each other and scurried off to god knows where, shouting all the while. Yumi blinked, her eyes wide with disbelief.

" _This_ is the Spirit World?! It _looks_ more like the dead people's stock exchange," Yumi said as she continued to look around while following close behind Botan and Illya.

"If that's what you think, just wait until you see the Makai," Illya stated and smiled fondly at the thought of her home.

"Maka-what?" Yumi attempted to repeat. Illya's smile disappeared instantly, causing a frown to take its place once more.

"Sir, I've brought you the girl Yumi Urameshi as requested," Botan said as she led the three into a single office towards the back. The door slid shut behind them, trapping them inside, or at least trapping Yumi. Her head whipped from side to side, as she tried and failed to spot this great _King Yama_ guy. "And the demon Illya, who is representing Lord Raizen it seems."

Illya hopped away and left Yumi to fend for herself.

"Uh, I-" She was panicking slightly, because she still didn't see him anywhere!

' _Is he invisible?'_ Yumi thought as her fists clenched at her sides.

"Ah, thank you, Botan." A smooth voice, much nicer than what Yumi had been expecting, responded. She blinked, looked forward towards a big leather chair behind a desk, and watched it spin around to reveal-

"Whoa, wait! Hold on a second! Just who the hell are you?! You're no monster!" The words left Yumi's mouth in a fast rambling stream, confusing the others in the room. The boy that was sitting in the chair looked up, blinking some, and he looked to be only a couple of years older than Yumi herself. Yumi blushed, because the only males she'd ever really had to deal with were her dumbass teachers and that idiot Kuwabara. Compared to them, he looked…nice. Attractive even.

' _Well, maybe without the pacifier,'_ Yumi thought, sweat-dropping when she noticed the light blue binky sticking out of his mouth. Other than that though, he looked better than most. His brown hair was parted evenly down the middle, it looked all soft and shiny, and it was the same shade of chocolate as his eyes. His skin wasn't really tan, but it was still nice looking. He had _Jr_ stamped on his forehead, and some… _interesting_ choices in clothes.

"A monster, you say?" the boy repeated. He sounded almost bemused, which in turn made Yumi blush harder.

' _Great. That part he hears.'_

"Uh, what I meant was…um, huh." Yumi averted her eyes to a corner of the room and reached up to scratch her head while trying to find the right words to dig herself out of the hole she had fallen in. Illya's snickering didn't help her nerves any.

"My, Koenma, sir. That disguise is a bit of a doozy, don't you think?" Botan asked while walking to stand beside the boy.

"I'll say," Illya added, following suit. _Koenma_ arched a brow and looked himself over for a moment before giving a shrug.

"You think so? I had some prior business to attend to and decided to leave it on. After all, not many would take a baby running things very seriously, now would they?" he asked in a very matter-of-fact tone.

Yumi felt left out of the loop, as the three of them seemed to share a private conversation. Yumi's first coherent thought was, ' _And what did he mean by baby?'_

"In any case, sir," Botan amended after seeing Yumi shuffle nervously off to the side. " _Here_ is Yumi Urameshi."

"A-are you…King Yama?" Yumi bit out while trying to keep her voice steady. Maybe he could transform and was about to shape-shift into a huge monster right now so that he could eat her! Or maybe this was all some kind of elaborate prank. If so, it was probably that moron Kuwabara! ' _Wait 'til I get my hands on that no-good pri-'_

"Actually, I am known as Prince Koenma. My father decided to go himself to deal with Lord Raizen, after receiving several reports of increased activity from deep within the Makai." His eyes narrowed some as he looked in Illya's direction. "Apparently something's got quite a few of the demons riled up, some in excitement and others out for blood." He sighed after that, then moved to walk around the desk and towards Yumi.

"K-Koenma?" Yumi repeated the name, tasting it on her lips. Her lips quirked suddenly as a thought came to her. "So you're like…a jailer then?"

Koenma blinked, looking a bit surprised, as his hands tenderly touched against the sides of her face. His eyes seemed to search her own for something, but he'd gotten sidetracked by her words. He was still looking into her eyes as he asked, "Excuse me?"

Yumi tilted her head some, barely taking note of the faint glimmer of _something_ radiating from the pacifier in his mouth.

"Your name, Koenma. Do you not know what it means?" She swore she saw mirth shining in those chocolate brown eyes of his as he responded.

"The same could be said of you, though you don't exactly _look_ like an archery bow. Beautiful, however, seems the more likely case." Yumi huffed, suddenly wanting nothing more than to hide her face away. Nobody had ever called her that before. Keiko was the girly one out of the two of them, and therefore she was the one that was called pretty.

"Alright, alright! Enough with the touchy-touchy!" she snapped, hiding her embarrassment with annoyance as she slapped his hands away from her face.

"Yumi, be nice!" Botan lightly chided. Yumi only scowled. Thoughts of her father grounded her, thoughts of when he supposedly left her and her mom. She drug her mind back from whatever stupid fantasy it was headed towards while she fixed Koenma with a stone cold stare. The kind of stare that made the kids at school eventually grow to fear her.

"Don't touch me," was all Yumi said. She folded her arms over her chest, and something in Koenma's eyes softened a bit.

"Right. Well, then," Koenma began to say. He turned on his heel to head back over to his desk, and he leaned against it as a puzzled look overtook his features. "Normally this is the part where I would present you with a Spirit Egg and send you on your way. Provided that you are good, the spirit that hatches from it would then be used to revive you. Though, given your circumstances, it appears we will have to use a _different_ method I'm afraid."

"What do you mean, sir?" Botan asked, tilting her head curiously. Koenma turned to look at Illya instead of Botan and inclined his head towards her.

"Go ahead," Koenma said quietly. Illya nodded and then moved to stand between him and Yumi. All traces of annoyance were gone from her expression and replaced with a much more serious look.

"Alright, Yumi. Listen up and listen good, 'cause I am _not_ repeating myself, understand?" Yumi nodded, and Illya took a single breath before delivering the big news. "In a nutshell…you, Yumi Urameshi, are a demon."

Yumi blinked. The tension in her body slowly melted away as the other three people in the room watched and waited for her reaction. She blinked again and then looked between the three other faces in the room. For a few seconds, no one said anything. Then came a yell.

"I'm a WHAT?!"

~x~

Toushin Raizen was an imposing figure, much like how Yama had expected him to be. He was older, yes, but his sheer presence was beyond amazing. King Yama felt his limbs start to go numb before he even set foot into the demon king's domain. Was his spiritual presence so strong that it even pushed gravity? A part of him still pondered over that as he moved to stand in front of the demon king himself.

"Speak. What brings you here?" The girl standing beside Raizen was the one doing the talking; her hair was a pure white with long bangs, and some hair spiked out more than other locks. One red eye and one blue eye watched him closely. She would have looked pretty if not for the impressive frown marring her face as she regarded the famous _King of the Spirit World_ with nothing short of annoyance.

' _A Cambion?'_ Yama thought, a bit intrigued by the girl's overall appearance.

"Lethia." Raizen's booming voice drove away any annoyance right out of said girl. She gave a respectful bow and then silently walked towards the door.

' _She is at least respectful to someone,'_ Yama thought as the girl left.

"I apologize for my follower's somewhat hostile disposition," Raizen began respectfully. His tone was respectful, but there was an almost sly smile on his face as he continued speaking. "To be fair, we had a minor little _incident_ earlier."

"I assume that's where most of the damage came from?" Yama questioned.

"Who knows?" Raizen's bemused expression gave nothing away. He leaned back in his throne with a grin, and his canines caught the dim lighting and glinted menacingly. "Now then, about that _matter_ I mentioned earlier."

King Yama swallowed and felt his stomach drop a bit. It was going to be a long day for him.

* * *

 **I finally finished it!T-T(The chapter, I mean...)**

 **Reviews are GREATLY Appreciated. Thoughts on the overall progression of things?**


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